My sister-in-law Deidra, as many of you know, went to Africa for the first time this past summer. God was already working in her life and heart but now He is growing her in crazy, light speed ways. Here's what has been in her mind and heart lately:
Everywhere I turn, I hear God calling His people to change, radical change. I see it on Facebook, read it in John Eldredge's book Waking the Dead, hear it in the words of the speakers at Passion 2013, and find it repeated daily in my devotionals.
Change can be scary, especially radical change. What if I offend? If I get it wrong? If I don't do enough? This fear can paralyze us, keeping us from doing anything at all. Forgo all change rather than risk the wrong kind of change.
Like Peter, we're in our little boat, shielded from wind and waves. But Jesus says, "Come." So, in obedience, we step out of the boat and into the raging storm. But here's hope: it isn't up to us to stay afloat. That's God's domain. His is the responsibility for this present moment. Ours is simply to obey. We don't have to know where we are going. Or what we should say. Or who we should say it to. That is God's domain. All He requires is that we are willing, that we say "yes, Lord" when He speaks our name, and that we step out, in faith, in the direction He points.
Simple obedience doesn't seem radical, but it is. It's radical because it requires that we be awake. And honestly, most of us are asleep. Of course, we don't think that we're asleep. But then, do zombies think they're zombies? How much of our life just happens to us? How much are we deliberate in making happen? And how much of our life slips by, unnoticed, until hours become days, and days become years, and years become just the way things are?
Joshua 24:15 is a familiar verse to most believers; we find it on little plaques, bookmarks, cross-stitch pillows, and honestly, we've made this verse cliche. We say it, wear it, display it, but do we really live it? Notice the very first word. Choose. A verb. Something you do!
Radical change is about doing, about choosing. Choosing to obey. Choosing to step out in faith. Choosing to be uncomfortable. Choosing to be awake.
The great point of Abraham’s faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God. --- Oswald Chambers
What am I prepared to do for God?
To read more of Deidra's writings, visit her blog: http://30daysofgracechallange.blogspot.com/
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